Baseball | March 26
DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University baseball team rides a four-game winning streak into this weekend's series against the Bowling Green Falcons at Ralph McKinzie Field at Walt & Janice Owens Park. The series starts Friday at 3 p.m. with Saturday's game set for 2 p.m. and Sunday's finale at 1 p.m.
The Huskies swept the Miami RedHawks last weekend for the first time since 2012. The sweep also marked the first time NIU opened its home slate 3-0 since 2013. At 6-3 in the Mid-American Conference NIU is off to its best start to league play since 2019.
NIU (14-7, 6-3 MAC) extended its winning streak on Tuesday with a 5-4 10-inning win at Eastern Illinois.
Cole Smith (Dubuque, Iowa/Bradley) hit the go-ahead RBI double in the top of the 10
th for the Huskies, his second run batted in of the game. Smith has nine multi-RBI games this season. He is tied for the MAC lead in doubles with 12, which puts him tied for sixth in the country.
Caden Robertson (Magnolia, Texas/Central Oklahoma) extended his current hitting streak to 11 games at Eastern Illinois. He is tied for the MAC lead in home runs with 10 and leads the league with an .827 slugging percentage. Fourteen of his 29 hits this season have gone for extra bases.
NIU is 11-0 this season when holding its opponent to five runs or less. Senior
Max Vaisvila (Villa Park, Ill./Wabash Valley College) threw the Huskies' first complete game in almost two years last Saturday, holding Miami to one run on four hits in a 5-1 win. He had five strikeouts in the game, his fifth start this season with at least five punchouts. In his last four starts, Vaisvila is 4-0 with a 1.61 earned run average. He has allowed five runs on 20 hits with 22 strikeouts in that span. Vaisvila is one of three pitchers in the MAC with four victories and is third in strikeouts.
Bowling Green (7-15, 3-6 MAC) split two midweek games this week, defeating Tiffin 7-6 before a 12-7 loss to Findlay Wednesday night. The Falcons are 3-6 in the MAC, taking a game in each of their series against Kent State, Miami and Ohio to start conference play. Bowling Green's pitching staff leads the MAC with 10.0 strikeouts per nine innings.
For every Saturday home game, fans will have the opportunity to participate in "Baseball Bingo" presented by Sonic. Fans can pick up their complimentary bingo card from the marketing table and winners will receive prizes courtesy of Sonic. For this Saturday's Blackout Game, Victor E. Threads is offering a 10 percent discount on all black apparel. Sundays are Kids Day At The Ballpark presented by Raising Cane's. Following each Sunday home game kids ages 12 and under can run the bases postgame. Admission to NIU Baseball games is free.
The Huskies are on the road next weekend, April 2-4, at UMass.
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